If you're
like me, the first thing you thought when
Mattel announced the inclusion of Tytus in their Masters of the
Universe Classics series was "Who the Hell is Tytus?"

While the
giant warlord that helped He-man didn't have much of a show background,
his original action figure is well known amongst collectors. He was a
'tail ender', coming at the end of the line back in 1987. Dropping
demand did to him what it often does to tail enders - made him mighty
rare. He was actually released, but only in Italy, and in those days
of no internet getting something from across the big pond was much
trickier for American fans.

It's this rarity of the original
figure that drove Mattel to give us an updated version in the MOTUC
series. As a giant, he had to be big, and he is, clocking in at around
12". That super size meant the price tag was super sized as well,
doubling from the usual $20 to $40.

Tytus was sold out faster
than Optikk, a good indication that Mattel was right when it came to
the demand. They weren't right with supply of course, but by the time
we get to the tail enders of the MOTUC series, I'm sure they'll have it
right. And monkeys will fly out of my butt.

Packaging - ***1/2
This is a box, rather than a card/bubble combination, which makes sense
due to the large size of the figure. It still follows the same retro
style of the rest of the figures, and includes the basic bio on the
back.

It's
almost collector friendly too, since it's technically possible to
remove the figure and put it back, with relatively little damage.
They've utilized a new type of twisty here, with thin, rubbery straps
that slip into plastic backers to hold them in place. They are
certainly easier to work with than standard twisties (and you can just
loosen them to remove the figure, you don't have to pull them
completely free), but they've taped the heads on the back of the
cardboard tray, requiring it to be torn off to get at them.

Sculpting - ***1/2
As mentioned, this is a large figure, standing about 12" tall. That's
compared to the 6 1/2" or so height of the regular figures. If a 12
foot man walked in the room, 'giant' would probably be the second word
that came to mind, so I think the scale is reasonable. I know that the
original Italian Stallion version was even bigger, but I think this
size works well with the smaller figures.

The
head sculpt is good, with a stern, bad ass expression and chiseled jaw.
The long blond hair is sculpted (I believe the original was rooted?),
and the strands are a bit thick and chunky, but it's a minor nit. The
head band is part of the head sculpt and not removable, but that
allowed them to properly incorporate it into the hair and face.

While
heavily muscled, he isn't quite as cartoony in appearance as the
smaller figures. There's a tad more realism to the look, sort of like a
Ahnold Conan wannabee. Some collectors may find this slight deviation
too distracting on the shelf, but I think it's a close enough match to
work, and by giving him a slightly different appearance, they
differentiate him from the smaller series by more than just height.

He stands great on his own of
course, and the right hand is designed to hold the weapon.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is very clean, and because of his scale, there's plenty
of opportunity for detail work.

The
eyes are sharp and straight, and the skin tone good, if a bit more
matte in finish than his smaller cousins. This is probably due to
differences in the rotocast plastic and the injection molded plastic,
but it isn't much of an issue for me. I prefer the more matte finish
anyway, and wish the other figures were similar.

The paint
doesn't do much to help with the chunky appearance of the hair, but at
least there's no slop. And when it comes to the chest piece, belt and
armored boots, the detail work is quite impressive, especially for
Mattel. They've stepped it up in this category on their 'collector'
lines, and I for one appreciate it.

My one complaint is the thin
line added to the inside of the lips to give them a bit more depth. At
this scale, it's too obvious, even in person.

Articulation - **1/2
There's been some talk about how this figure is similar to the Mattel
DC 12" line, and that's true. It's not an identical match, and the
articulation, while weak compared to the rest of MOTUC, is better than
the DC line.

Here
there's the cut neck, but that's a bit hindered by the solid blond
hair. There's also shoulders that look like ball joints but aren't, pin
elbows and knees, a cut waist, cut wrists, and cut joints at the top of
the boots. The hips can move forward and back at least a bit
(restricted by the fur diaper), a step up from something like the cut
hip joints on Superman.

But
even with these few extra joints, Tytus is going to be a big
disappointment in this category for most MOTUC collectors. He's far
less articulated than his 6" brethren, and there's a certain
expectation (increased by the excellent work Mattel did with Battle Cat) that every
figure in the series irrespective of size will have the same level of
articulation.

It's
also worth noting here that his club, which I'll discuss in greater
detail in the next section, would be too heavy for his elbow or
shoulder to
maintain in the air for any length of time if there were an actual
figure trapped in it anyway.

Accessories - ***
Tytus comes with one big honkin' accessory - his giant club! Calling
this a club is a bit of an understatement though, since there appears
to be electronics and hydraulics involved. It's officially a 'warrior
smasher', although it's not used to smash warriors but the Evil Horde.
The original version had a soft rubber base, allowing it to fit over
the smaller figures and then 'capture' them, holding them in place.
This one has the same sculpted design, but there is one thing stopping
it from capturing anyone - the base is now hard plastic, and without
the ability for the sides to bend, the hole is simply to small to fit
over the figures.

I'll
be tossing it in the big box of goofy accessories and not using it in
the display. It's nice to get of course, but he looks a little too much
like the janitor at He-Man High School running the floor buffer when
he's carrying it.

You can also count his chest
piece as an
accessory, since it's easily removable. He looks a little funny without
it though, since the head piece is not removable.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
While he's less articulated, he's still a damn good time in the sand
box. This scale works great for kids, although manufacturers aren't
really big on it these days. Combining him with the smaller figures and
providing an interactive accessory (smashing the puny Skeletor is fun
even if he can't fit inside) gives this guy a leg up in the Fun Factor
category.

Value - **
The 6" figures are $20, so a 12" figure should be $40, right? Not
exactly. Doubling the size of anything doesn't necessarily double the
price, and I think most of us have seen examples in our own lives. On
top of that, this figure has several hollow, rotocast parts, rather
than the solid pieces of the smaller figures, so there isn't a direct
doubling of the amount of raw materials. And let's not forget that
there are far fewer points of articulation.

As I mentioned, this figure is
very similar to the 12" DC figures we've seen at Toys R Us, also from
Mattel, like the Cyborg
Superman.
That figure was $30 back in '07, and I thought that was $10 too high
then. It's three years later, and this guy is produced at lower numbers
(probably), so he comes out (at least for me) at the same slightly
below average value rating. While $30 would have felt about right, even
at $40 he wasn't a total rip.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing - just like the rest of the series (and more correctly,
like the 12" DC figures from Mattel), he's sturdy, solid and well built.

Overall - ***
This guy is an expensive addition to an already expensive series.
The articulation isn't quite all that it could have been
either,
but the sculpt and paint are both excellent.

He's
not a must have by any means, and if you are going for a more
consistent look in your MOTUC display, he'll break the pattern. But if
you're like me, a person who appreciates a little variety in your MOTUC
diet, then this guy does the job. I'm glad I picked him up, and while
he'll never be in my top 5 figures in the line, he will always have a
spot in the display.